Bright Sunday Morning Gift

Yesterday morning dawned bright and cheerful so I went for a snow shoe out in the country around my apartment. There was a bit of frost on the trees and some ice crystals in the air, causing the air to shimmer in a wonderful way. I painted this pastel in celebration of the morning gift.

Dawn on Percy Lake

This is a 14 in. x 10 in. pastel of a body of water called Percy Lake, Manitoba. My artist friend Jan Layh has a cottage and we have spent many memorable times there. The little lake has spawned many paintings. My wife took up painting while we were there for are anniversary, I think she figured that if she couldn't beat us she may as well join us and she went on to produce a very nice little painting that always brings back fond memories. That is the thing about painting on location, the place is embedded in your memory in more ways than one.

For Sale

It occurred to me that I could offer these paintings on this blog for sale, kind of a stretch of the imagination in these tough economic times. So here goes, if any one is interested in any of these paintings please contact me. The cost is a minimum $100.00, plus shipping. This latest painting is a pastel, 12 in. x 7 1/2 in.

Patterns in the Snow

I came across what I believe is some beautiful patterns in the abundant snow we have in the neighborhood the other day and I decided to paint my version of them with pastels. I deliberately included the grasses because they contributed to the overall effect that so enamored me. I also enjoyed painting the effects of the sunlight because I miss its warm, friendly face.

A Pastel Painting

It occurred to me that soft pastels would be fun to use painting hoar frost, and I was right. A sharpened piece of chalk is just the thing to use to get that particular look of fuzzy frost on branches. On my daily walks I (and my dogs) have noticed that there are lots of small animal tracks in the snow. I usually notice this at this time of the year, its been a long winter and the animals are sensing that spring is just around the bend.

More gray days

Man, woke up this morning to -43 Celcius, what brutal weather! The up side is the days are getting longer and when the sun does come out you can feel it on your body. This is a watercolour of a lovely place called the Shellmouth Valley. I have a wonderful friend who lives right on the edge of the valley, she has a wonderful view, which is what this painting is about.

British Columbia

British Columbia is on my mind these past few days, I received an invitation to compete for a place in a Federation of Canadian Artists show to be held in Kamloops in May. I lived in Chilliwack for three wonderful years, working as a carpenter. Life was great as there was lots of work and lots of opportunity to play. Chilliwack is nicely situated in the Fraser Valley and a person is only an hour away from the ocean, Vancouver and the mountains. Sometimes I wonder why we're not still out there!

Big prairie skies

What really strikes me about living in Watrous, Saskatchewan is the expanse of the sky and landscape, it seems like you can literally see forever. It is not totally flat, like some of the prairie can be, it is actually quite hilly. Because the vista is not impeded by large tracts of forest one has the experience of wonderful aerial perspective and amazing colour, even on gray days. I mentioned large tracts of forest because I am a born and bred Northern Manitoban, which is typical boreal forest country, interlaced with lakes, rivers, streams and swamps. One does not really see great expanses of sky unless you are on a large lake, such as Clearwater Lake, which is one of two "true blue" lakes in the world. The prairie grows on you and I look forward to painting it in all of its moods.